Watch case and movement lock.



J. W. RUSHTON.

WATCH CASE AND MOVEMENT LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.25, 1913.

1 ,O88,09'7 Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

279%(9211) B y-s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. RUSHTON, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WALTEIAM WATCH COMPANY, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WATCH CASE AND MOVEMENT LOCK.

Application filed March 25, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN IV. RUsHToN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of altham, in. the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vatch Case and Movement Locks, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a new and improved locking means efliciently securing a watch movement in a watch case, with perfect security regardless of minor inaccuracies in the construction of the case.

In its general principles and objects the present invention is similar to that disclosed in my application for watch movement and case filed April 18, 1912, Serial No. 691,737.

Specifically the invention consists in improved details of construction of the ring which forms a part of the look.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of a ring which forms a part of my improved locking means. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the watch case and a part of a movement frame locked in the case by the means which constitutes my present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a locking bolt which is an element of the locking means.

The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the figures.

Referring first to Fig. 2, (4 represents the annular central part of a watch case, which is ordinarily termed the case center, and is formed with side walls a and c between which is an annular recess o On the outer face of the wall a is a shoulder a somewhat undercut to secure the bezel 7) carrying the crystal on the front of the watch case. On the outer side of the wall 05- is an annular rib a on the inner side of which is a shoulder a, and the outer side of which forms a some what undercut shoulder a? to secure the back cover (l of the watch case.

0 represents that plate of the watch movement which is variously called the pillar plate, the bottom plate, or the front plate, which contains the bearings for one end of the various arbors of the watch movement, and to the front side of which is secured the usual watch dial. Secured to the rear face of the plate 0 are the upper plates or bridges in which the opposite ends of the watch movement arbors have their bearings. A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Serial No. 756,629.

part of one of such upper plates is shown at 9 represents a ring which is sulliciently large internally at one end to fit freely over the front plate 6. Somewhat back of the edge of this open end is shoulder g, which is adapted to bear on the edge of the pillar plate, as shown in Fig. 2. Near the opposite end of the ring there is an outwardly projecting shoulder adapted to overlie the wall a of the case center and rest on the shoulder a. The ring is adapted to be passed into the case center from the rear side thereof until its shoulder or flange brings up against the wall (4 The length of the ring is somewhat less than the distance between shoulder a and the rear side of the wall a of the case center, so that the only bearing which the ring has on the case center, besides its external peripheral bearing, is that of the flange 9? on the shoulder o, and the portion of the ring which surrounds the pillar plate 6 does not touch the case center. On the back end of the ring is a shoulder g by which the inside back cover it is secured.

In the sides of the ring are openings 9* through which locking bolts 76 are adapted to pass. The forward or bottom walls of these openings are raised somewhat above the plane of the rear face of the pillar plate so as to serve as fulcrum points for the bolts 70. There are ordinarily two of these bolts located at approximately diametrically opposite points of the watch movement frame. They are alike in construction and one of them is shown in detail in Fig. 3. The outer end of the belt which projects through the ring is beveled at Z: and is adapted to enter the annular recess a of the case center and make contact against the beveled face (5 of the wall a thereof. The inner part of the belt which lies over the pillar plate is formed with an elongated notch 7.: in which is placed a securing screw Z and which is threaded the pillar plate. The head Z of the s overlaps the adjacent shank of the bolt. bolt is prevented from being either projected or retracted too fa by shoulders 71: and Z1 at each end of the notch, and it is prevented from swinging sidewise away from the hol ling screw by the proximity of the upper plate or bridge f, near which the un-notched side of the bolt shank lies.

W hen the movement frame and ring are assembled and placed in the case center, and the bolt is projected, as shown in Fi 2, the outer end of the bolt has a side bearing on the case center wall (4 the opposite side of the bolt has a bearing on the side 9 of the hole in the ring, and the inner end or the bolt is drawn toward the pillar plate by the screw Z. On tightening up the screw Z, the bolt is caused to act as a lever, turning about its points of engagement with the ring and the case center as fulcrum points. Either of these points of engagement might be considered the fulcrum and the other the point or loadin This lever action crowds the ring shoulder against the case shoulder a and the plate edge against the internal ring shoulder g. In this way the movement, the ring, and the case are all looked together. When the bolt is partly retracted, the movement and ring can be removed from the case, and when the bolt is wholly withdrawn from the ring, the latter may be separated from the case. When the bolt is projected into the hole in the ring whether it passes entirely through the hole or not, it locks the movement and ring to gether regardless of whether they are in the case or not.

It is not material to the eiliciency of the lock whether the inner end of the bolt lies against the pillar plate or is raised above it, provided only the bolt is near enough to the pillar plate to permit attachment of the holdin screw. Thus there is room for con siderable variation in the location of the bolt without impairing the etliciency of the lock. Consequently the movement can be securely fastened in the case even though the latter should var considerably from its designed dimensions in regard to the position and thickness of the wall (E.

The holes 9* in the ring are located entirely between the shoulders g and g as well as between the opposite edges of the ring. Thus providing the holes does not necessitate interrupting the edges or shoulders. Thereby a continuous annular hearing between the ring and pillar plate, and a continuous annular bearing between the ring and the case center are provided, where tight contact is made. The ring thus constitutes a dust guard held so tightly in contact with both the pillar plate and the case center as to prevent dust working into the movement from the front of the watch.

Dust is prevented from entering the back of the movement by the two back covers, (it which the inner cover 71. is attached to the ring and becomes virtually a part of the watch movement frame when the ring is connected thereto, whether the latter is in the case or not.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a watch, the combination of an annular case center having a side wall at one edge and an external shoulder at the other edge, a movement plate fitting :treely within the space surrounded by said side wall, a ring having an internal shoulder bearing upon the movement plate, an external shoulder bearing upon said case shoulder, and binding means connected with the movement plate, bearing against the case center and arranged to exert force to bring the shoulders of the ring against the movement plate and the case center.

2. In a watch, a case center having inwardly extending front and back annular walls, a watch movement plate fitting within said front wall, a ring formed to lit around the plate at one end and having an internal shoulder bearing against the inner side of the plate, said ring having an external shoulder at its opposite end overlapping the rear wall oi the case center, a bolt passing through said ring bearing on the inner side of the rear wall of the case and bearing also on the ring, and means for forcing the inner end of said bolt toward the plate.

In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. RUSlllON. Witnesses J. KELso Zanzs, FRANK W. Swn'rr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of lztcntm Washington, D. C. 

